Is this powerful enough to make a difference. We do not have natural gas in our area so will be using propane. Doe anyone know how long a costco size propane tank would last with this unit?
RayPak 105,000 BTU Propane Above Ground Pool Heater (106A) for In text 15 by 48 pool
- Thread starter poolsam
- Start date
Yes it is.
I also have a 100,000BTU heater for my Intex (18 x 9 x 52) and I am able to raise the pool's temp by ~3deg Fahrenheit an hour (when used with a blanket at the same time).
I also use my heater with a propane tank, a 20 lb tank to be exact. It lasts for ~4 hours. the math is also simple : a 100K BTU heater will consume ~1 gallon of gas in an hour, a 20LB tank has around 4.72 gallons of gas inside.
So basically for my pool a 20lb tank (19$ refill at home depot) can raise the pool temp by ~10deg Fahrenheit, usually in my case is to raise the water temp from 80 to 90 (it takes 4 hours)
One important thing you should consider, a small propane tank will freeze quickly with this heater, after 20 min of use or so, when it freezes your heater will shut itself down.
So you have two choices here, either go with a bigger tank (recommended) or every time you start your heater put your tank in warm water, this will prevent it from freezing.
Enjoy.
I also have a 100,000BTU heater for my Intex (18 x 9 x 52) and I am able to raise the pool's temp by ~3deg Fahrenheit an hour (when used with a blanket at the same time).
I also use my heater with a propane tank, a 20 lb tank to be exact. It lasts for ~4 hours. the math is also simple : a 100K BTU heater will consume ~1 gallon of gas in an hour, a 20LB tank has around 4.72 gallons of gas inside.
So basically for my pool a 20lb tank (19$ refill at home depot) can raise the pool temp by ~10deg Fahrenheit, usually in my case is to raise the water temp from 80 to 90 (it takes 4 hours)
One important thing you should consider, a small propane tank will freeze quickly with this heater, after 20 min of use or so, when it freezes your heater will shut itself down.
So you have two choices here, either go with a bigger tank (recommended) or every time you start your heater put your tank in warm water, this will prevent it from freezing.
Enjoy.
- May 7, 2014
- 429
- Pool Size
- 29980
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
I would have to assume that a 105K BTU heater would make a difference, but that is just a guess.
I can help with the run time though.
Propane has roughly 91,600 BTU/gallon. So for lets figure the run time of the standard BBQ grill bottle (20 lb.), they hold right at 4.73-gallons.
4.73-gallon x 91,600 BTU/gallon = 433,000 BTU capacity for one 20 lb. BBQ tank.
If the heater burns 105,000 BTU/hour on high, then we have...
433,000 BTU / 105,000 BTU/hour = 4.1 hours. (not very long)
They sell the propane tanks in 20, 30, 80, and 100 lb. sizes.
Obviously the bigger the tank the longer the run time. A 100 lb. tank like this one runs about $130 and will run the heater for 20.6 hours.
Now all of that is assuming you have it on high all the time. If you run it at half of full output, then your run times will double. I would think you would need high to warm the water then drastically less to keep it at that temp.
I can help with the run time though.
Propane has roughly 91,600 BTU/gallon. So for lets figure the run time of the standard BBQ grill bottle (20 lb.), they hold right at 4.73-gallons.
4.73-gallon x 91,600 BTU/gallon = 433,000 BTU capacity for one 20 lb. BBQ tank.
If the heater burns 105,000 BTU/hour on high, then we have...
433,000 BTU / 105,000 BTU/hour = 4.1 hours. (not very long)
They sell the propane tanks in 20, 30, 80, and 100 lb. sizes.
Obviously the bigger the tank the longer the run time. A 100 lb. tank like this one runs about $130 and will run the heater for 20.6 hours.
Now all of that is assuming you have it on high all the time. If you run it at half of full output, then your run times will double. I would think you would need high to warm the water then drastically less to keep it at that temp.